Walter Bright

Walter G. Bright was born on March 10, 1959. He is an American computer programmer known for creating important tools and games used by many people. One of his biggest achievements is creating the D programming language, which helps programmers write software more easily.

In addition to the D language, Bright also made the Zortech C++ compiler, a tool that helps people use another popular programming language called C++. He also created a fun computer game called Empire, which many people enjoyed playing. Thanks to his work, Bright has had a big impact on the world of computer programming and gaming.

Early life and education

Walter Bright grew up as the son of a pilot in the United States Air Force. He learned to program computers by himself using programs from a book called BASIC Computer Games.

He finished his studies at Caltech in 1979, earning a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a smaller focus in Aeronautical Engineering. During his time at university, he created a game called Empire for a big computer called the PDP-10.

Career

Walter Bright started his career by creating games for the Mattel Intellivision while he was a student at Caltech. After finishing his studies, he worked as a mechanical engineer and later learned the programming language C. He used C to bring the game Empire to the IBM PC, joking that C could have been called "Empire Implementation Language."

Bright went on to develop several important programming tools. He created the Datalight C compiler, which was also sold under other names like Zorland C and Zortech C. He was the main developer of the Zortech C++ compiler, which later became Symantec C++ and then Digital Mars C++. This was the first C++ compiler that could turn code directly into object code without needing C first.

Bright is also known for creating the D programming language. He has written many articles about compilers and programming and shared his ideas on Dr. Dobb's Journal. In around 2014, he made a tool called Warp, a fast preprocessor for C and C++ code, written using the D language, for use at Facebook.

D programming language

Main article: D (programming language)